Genetic and environmental contributions to infant socioemotional health and stress responses

Our long-term goal is to better understand cohabiting couples’ relationship and contextual characteristics that are associated with relationship functioning, parenting and coparenting quality, and health and stress across the transition to parenthood. Our objective in this application is assess the feasibility of collecting data on both parents’ and infants’ socioemotional health and stress responses between 12 and 20 months post-partum. With this pilot data, we plan to write an R01 grant application to NICHD to collect a sample of 200 pregnant cohabiting couples and follow them and their children through around 20 months postpartum. The data from this project will help both practitioners and policy makers better identify the key factors that predict success or failure in unmarried couples and their children across the first year and a half of their child’s life. Drawing on the demographic, psychological, and psychoneuroimmunological literatures, we have the following specific aims.

 

AIM 1. Keep cohabiting mothers and fathers in the New Parents Project sample through a 15 month follow-up.

 

AIM 2. Collect data on infant-parent attachment from both mothers and fathers in the New Parents Project.

 

AIM 3. Collect psychoneuroimmunilogical data on infant-parent attachment from both mothers and fathers in the New Parents Project.

 

2020. Altenburger, L. E., & Schoppe-Sullivan, S. J. New fathers’ parenting quality: Personal, contextual, and child precursors. Journal of Family Psychology, 34(7), 857–866. PMID: 32567880

2020. Berrigan, M. N., Schoppe-Sullivan, S. J., & Kamp Dush, C. M. . Moving beyond access: Predictors of maternity and paternity leave duration in the United States. Sex Roles, 1-14.  

2020. Olsavsky, A. L., Berrigan, M. N., & Schoppe-Sullivan, S. J. Self-reported adult attachment and observed parenting behavior of new mothers and fathers. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 11, 821-834.

2019. Olsavsky, A. L., Yan, J., Schoppe‐Sullivan, S. J., & Kamp Dush, C. M. New fathers’ perceptions of dyadic adjustment: The roles of maternal gatekeeping and coparenting closeness. Family Process. PMCID: PMC 30968407 

2018. Altenburger, L. E., Schoppe-Sullivan, S. J., & Kamp Dush, C. M. "Associations between maternal gatekeeping and fathers' parenting quality. Journal of Child and Family Studies", 27, 2678-2689.

Olsavsky, A., Berrigan, M. N., Schoppe-Sullivan, S. J., Brown, G. L., Kamp Dush, C. M., & Johnson, S. Kamp Dush, C. M. (In Press). Paternal stimulation and father-infant attachment. Attachment and Human Development. PMCID: PMC 30873899

2018. Kamp Dush, C. M., Yavorsky, J., & Schoppe-Sullivan, S. J. What are men doing while women perform extra unpaid labor? Leisure and specialization at the transition to parenthood. Sex Roles, 78, 715-730. PMCID: PMC 30013287 

2018. Yan, J., Olsavsky, A. L., Schoppe-Sullivan, S. J., & Kamp Dush, C. M. Coparenting in the family of origin and new parents’ couple relationship functioning. Journal of Family Psychology, 32, 206-216. PMCID: PMC 29658758 

Yan, J., Schoppe-Sullivan, S. J., & Kamp Dush, C. M. (in press). Maternal coparenting attitudes and toddler adjustment: Moderated mediation through father’s positive engagement. Parenting: Science and Practice, 18, 67-85. PMCID: PMC6594390

2016. Jia, R., Kotila, L. E., Schoppe-Sullivan, S. J., & Kamp Dush, C. M. New parents’ psychological adjustment and trajectories of early parental involvement. Journal of Marriage and Family, 78, 197-211. PMCID:PMC4933319

2015. Ferriby, M. M., Kotila, L. E., Kamp Dush, C. M., & Schoppe-Sullivan, S. J. Dimensions of attachment and commitment across the transition to parenthood. Journal of Family Psychology, 29, 938-944. PMCID:PMC4977157

2015. Yavorsky, J., Kamp Dush, C. M., & Schoppe-Sullivan, S. J.  Production of inequality: Gender division of labor across the transition to parenthood. Journal of Marriage and Family, 77, 662-679.  PMCID:PMC4584401

2015. Schoppe-Sullivan, S. J., & Altenburger, L. E., Lee, M. A., Bower, D. J., & Kamp Dush, C. M.  Who are the gatekeepers? Predictors of maternal gatekeeping. Parenting: Science and Practice,Volume 15, Issue 3, 166-186. PMCID:PMC4922533

2015. Kotila, L. E., & Schoppe-Sullivan, S. J. Integrating sociological and psychological perspectives on coparenting. Sociology Compass, 9, 731-744.

2015. Altenburger, L. E., Lang, S. N., Schoppe-Sullivan, S. J., Kamp Dush, C. M., & Johnson, S. C. Toddlers’ differential susceptibility to the effects of coparenting on socioemotional adjustment. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 41, 228-237. PMCID: PMC6938299

2014. Kotila, L. E., Schoppe-Sullivan, S. J., & Kamp Dush, C. M. . Infant characteristics and parental engagement at the transition to parenthood. Infant Behavior and Development, 37, 787-799. PMCID: PMC4575220

2014. Lang, S. N., Schoppe-Sullivan, S. J., Kotila, L. E., Feng, X., Kamp Dush, C. M., & Johnson, S. C.  Relations between fathers’ and mothers’ infant engagement patterns in dual-earner families and toddler competence. Journal of Family Issues, 35, 1107-1127. PMCID: PMC4526265

2014. Schoppe-Sullivan, S. J., Altenburger, L. E., Settle, T. A., Kamp Dush, C. M., Sullivan, J. M., & Bower, D. J.  Expectant fathers’ intuitive parenting: Associations with parent characteristics and postpartum positive engagement. Infant Mental Health Journal, 35, 409-421. PMCID: PMC4575558

2014. Altenburger, L. E., Schoppe-Sullivan, S. J., Lang, S. N. , Bower, D. J. , & Kamp Dush, C. M.  Associations between prenatal coparenting behavior and observed coparenting behavior at 9 months postpartum. Journal of Family Psychology, 28, 495-504. PMCID: PMC4485399

2014. Kamp Dush, C. M., Rhoades, G. K., Sandberg-Thoma, S. E., & Schoppe-Sullivan, S. J. Commitment across the transition to parenthood among married and cohabiting couples. Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice, 3, 126-136. PMCID: PMC4263416

2014.  Kotila, L. E., Schoppe-Sullivan, S. J., & Kamp Dush, C. M.  Boy or girl? Maternal psychological correlates of knowing fetal sex. Personality and Individual Differences, 68, 195-198. PMCID: PMC4535729

2013.  Zvara, B. J., Schoppe-Sullivan, S. J., & Kamp Dush, C. M.  Fathers' involvement in child health care: Associations with prenatal involvement, parents' beliefs, and maternal gatekeeping. Family Relations, 62, 649-661. PMCID: PMC4578638

2012.  Bartholomew, M., Schoppe-Sullivan, S. J., Glassman, M., Kamp-Dush, C.M.,& Sullivan,J.  New Parents' Facebook Use at the Transition to Parenthood. FamilyRelations, 61, 455-469. PMCID: PMC3650729

2011. Lee MA, Schoppe-Sullivan  SJ & Kamp-Dush C M.  Parenting perfectionism and parental adjustment. Personality and Individual Differences, 52, 454-457. PMCID:PMC3274380